Hopwood inspires Ladies to high-scoring win over Cullompton as Blues maintain lead at the top
Newbury Blues Ladies maintained their commanding lead at the top of the Women’s Championship South West Two table thanks to a hard-fought 34-26 win over Cullompton.
Blues, who were expecting another physical test following last week's bruising win over Ivybridge, made a fast start and raced into a three-try lead, the highlight of the trio of scores being Meg Hopwood's powerful drive over the line.
However Cullompton, who, like all the sides in the league, were struggling to contend with the hosts' pace on the wings, hit back to move the score to 19-7 and remind Blues that they were in for a tough afternoon at Monks Lane.
After the break the sides switched ends and it was Cullompton's turn to make the most of having the wind at their backs, scoring two more tries to level the game at 19-19.
Newbury were being forced into some desperate rearguard actions but the Blues defenders were standing up to the task, holding firm and turning the ball over at the breakdown.
One of those turnovers produced three points when Becky Church kicked a penalty after the home side's forwards had driven into Cullompton territory and that seemed to inspire Newbury, who extended their lead to 34-19 thanks to tries from Hopwood and Lizzie Harris.
The visitors refused to give up and dominated the final quarter of an hour but Blues' defence remained solid, keeping Cullompton out for 10 minutes before ceding to the travellers' relentless pressure as another try reduced the gap to 34-26.
Blues held out to extend their unbeaten run and maintain their sizeable advantage at the top of the league and, with just four games left to go, an undefeated season is well within Newbury's sights.
Next up for Blues is the visit of third placed Trojans on Sunday, March 12.
There wasn't much to separate the two sides back in December, with Blues finishing as narrow 12-5 winners in Hampshire, and the league leaders can expect another tough test in two weeks.
